Category: Uncategorized

In our last tele-conversation we discussed the issue of helping people to transition from an institutional to organic mindset.  For more on these tele-conversations see here and here. Out of that last conversation we developed a list of resources that may be helpful as we encourage people through this transition.  I thought I should share…

I am probably the last person left on the planet who had not read So You Do Not Want to Go to Church Anymore by Wayne Jacobsen aka Jake Colsen.  I finally tackled it in its entirety last weekend.  In case there are one or two of you left who have not read it, it…

Reading Henri Nouwen’s “The Way of the Heart” was the beginning of moving me and my wife toward simple church.  His chapter, entitled “The Compulsive Minister” provoked the start of a longing for an inner transformation.  Years later, when God blasted us out of our traditional church roles, we were searching not so much for…

I wanted to look at three more writer/practitioners on the subject of discipleship.  This is a continuation of my last post.  I am not suggesting that anyone has "the definitive way to do it" (as if there is such an animal), but I am stimulated by reflecting on the different perspectives. David Garrison Garrison, author…

Our last tele-conversation (previous two posts) raised the issue of “discipleship pathways.”  How do we address healthy disciple-making (spiritual formation) in the context of simple/house church? I think this issue has much to do with how we view the process of discipleship.  If it is just information downloading (my old way of thinking), then it’s…

As per the previous post, we had a tele-conversation (7 of us altogether) on the future of house church.  I was very excited about the opportunity to share stories with people who are on the same journey in different parts of the world. As is typical of “house church,” the conversation took on a life…

Interested in a tele-conference-conversation, with 6 to7 people, on the future of the house church movement? Here is what I am proposing… What: a tele-conference-conversation that will give us the opportunity to interact with others from various parts of the world with an engaging topic: the future of the house church movement. Who: 6 or…

I am chewing on some excellent food from Alan Hirsch’s book, Forgotten Ways.  He asserts that we have cultivated a consumerist approach to Christianity and that our typical church models feed this consumer mentality. Sound harsh?  Didn’t church-growth proponents explicitly teach us to mimic the shopping mall and apply it to the church?  In this…

I recently read a statement by A.W. Tozer that clarified for me the limitation of pulpit-style teaching: "Though God… has provided answers to our questions concering Him, the answers by no means lie on the surface.  They must be sought by prayer, by long meditation on the written Word, and by earnest and well-disciplined labor. …

I haven’t posted for a while because of a 3-week overseas trip to Southeast Asia.  I had the privilege of helping to facilitate a conference for missionary/church planters who are working mostly among unreached people groups.  I will not mention any details about this conference because many of the participants work in parts of the…